Tomorrow, For Sure
by shigeka
Summary: "…My dear sister, do you think… I can save that person?" — It took her a long time, but Elizabeth finally fulfilled her wish to be able to free her precious person from the burden he had chosen to shoulder and see his smile once again. (Persona 3 * My Hero Academia)
1. Chapter 1

Welcome to this really self-indulgent story I wrote in 1 hour because Makoto makes me sad. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. I put in some (modified) excerpts from Persona 4 Arena story here and there, by the way. Any lines that you recognized is not mine.

Formatting in FFnet is a bitch, by the way. I did my best here, but it's still better in AO3, sorry ):

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 **Fold Your Wings, and Sleep**

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 _._

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 _My dear sister… I want to tell you a fairy tale._

 _Hm…? What's this about?_

 _In our world, at the far reaches of the sea of the soul… there stands a large door. A soul which devoted itself to sealing that door slumbers there…_

 _Why did it do such a thing?_

 _That soul is risking itself to prevent those who have lost sight of life's brilliance from luring the world to self-destruction. It has become the guardian of the door… of the whole world, in fact._

 _That is a very sorrowful story._

 _…_

 _…My dear sister, do you think… I can save that person?_

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When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Elizabeth.

Standing across of him, she was clad in the blue attire that he remembered she always wore at all occasion and was wearing an easy smile on her lips as she gazed upon him with eyes that were filled with warmth.

He blinked to dispel some of his disorientation and glanced around, noticing the darkness of the sky and the emptiness around them. Amongst the darkness were scattered countless bright lights, like a nebula.

"I see that you are awake," Elizabeth said, closing her eyes. "I am glad to see you up and about again. My apologies for taking such a long time to make this happen."

Still disoriented, he stared at her for a second before he parted his lips.

"Where are we?" he asked her.

"We are at the furthest depths at the place where every human's consciousness is connected," she told him with a smile. Her words were cryptic, but somehow he understood what she meant by that.

The collective consciousness.

 _The sea of the soul._

It was the place where he…

He shook his head, suddenly overcome by a bout of dizziness.

What was happening to him? The last thing he remembered was the warmth of the sunlight on his skin; the feeling of Aigis's fingers, carding softly through his hair, and the faint voices of his friends, calling his name.

They had promised to meet at the rooftop on Kirijo-senpai and Sanada-senpai's graduation day, but he was just so tired, and…

Before he could remember anymore, suddenly he noticed there was particles of pale yellow lights fluttering before his eyes. He traced back those lights and it was with a start that he noticed that it was Elizabeth's body that was emitting those lights _—_ her body was disintegrating into those yellow particles.

"Elizabeth…!"

He inhaled sharply, stepping closer to her with urgency, but the woman just raised her hand to observe her disintegrating body closely, intrigue shining in her eyes. Unbothered and unshaken, even as her own body was falling apart.

"I had a feeling that this would happen, but I did not expect it to look this beautiful..." Elizabeth said softly, fascination lacing her voice.

He furrowed his brows in frustration, not understanding just what would make her willing to throw away her life, but Elizabeth just continued to smile at him as if everything was normal—as if she wasn't disappearing from existence.

"If you know this would happen... then why...?"

She let out a light, tinkling laugh.

"It's because you are worth everything to me," she said, her eyes creasing upwards with mirth.

"You see, Makoto-sama… we residents of the Velvet Room have our own roles, but we are also constantly on a journey. We help our guests grow as people, and through the help we offer, we come to understand the ultimate question. It's the fundamental question of, 'Who are we?'" she began in a reminiscing tone.

"I spent so many days like that for a long time... I had thought it would be impossible to change, but... then I met you and finally reached my answer." Elizabeth told him, her eyes softening again as she confessed her thoughts.

"…You helped me discover my true self and gave me the key to the answer that I have been seeking since my creation," she continued, before falling silent as she looked down and her hands reached up to grasp her chest.

Behind her gloved fingers, a soft light seeped through from inside her heart.

"The moments I was able to spend with you were like glittering gems. So precious and treasured that it left a lingering warmth inside of me and… I found myself being unable to let go of that feeling," she murmured fondly.

"I wish to see you again, even if it is just for one more time. That is why I have set an objective for myself… to defeat the monster that you were protecting the world from once and for all and set you free," she told him. "…And if the price for this wish of mine was only my existence, then that is a price I'm willing to pay."

Elizabeth paused and looked him in the eyes before continuing.

"That is why I abandoned my assigned role and departed on my long journey. And now, it appears that I have succeed." She beamed at him, looking proud of herself. "You don't have to be alone up here anymore. Exciting, isn't it?"

"Elizabeth…" he whispered, his eyes watering as she continued to disintegrate into millions of light particles in front of him, but before his tears could fall, Elizabeth's gloved hand reached up to his face and wiped them away.

"Don't shed your tears for me. I didn't do any of this for you, Makoto-sama. I did it for myself," she said with a small smile as she cradled her hand back to her chest. "…I am simply a selfish woman with a selfish wish. But… I suppose it makes me happy that you are willing to cry for me."

Elizabeth closed her eyes, looking more content than he had ever seen her before.

Gritting his teeth in frustration at his own powerlessness, he stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her tightly. Elizabeth stilled, as if not expecting him to do it, but after a while she finally relaxed her body and raised her arms towards his back, hugging him back.

He closed his eyes tightly, willing himself to stay strong.

"What will happen after this?" he murmured against her shoulder.

"That, I do not know yet. We residents of the Velvet Room are not omnipotent beings, Makoto-san," she said in amusement. She coaxed him into letting her go and looked him in the eyes, smiling softly at him.

"But I suppose you will return to the sea of the soul, where your friends are waiting for you to come back to them," she eventually told him.

At her words, Makoto swallowed heavily, his heart feeling heavy at the knowledge that his friends weren't amongst the living anymore.

"…I see. So they're…"

Seeing that he was upset, Elizabeth was quick to reassure him.

"It have been a long time since you devoted yourself to the Seal, Makoto-san," Elizabeth told him matter-of-factly even as she tried to be gentle in her revelation. "Your friends lived fulfilling lives. They journeyed a long and difficult road with me, but they ultimately reached the end with smiles on their faces."

"…They helped you?"

"Of course!" Elizabeth beamed at him. "I realized in the middle of my journey that this was not something that I could do alone. Your friends desired to protect you just as much as I want, so they tried to reach the impossible… to change humanity for the better."

"No matter what difficulties they faced, they never gave up because of their collective wishes to create a world where the Seal to protect Nyx wouldn't be needed anymore—so that you'd be freed from the burden you have chosen to shoulder," Elizabeth paused and, with a softer tone, she continued.

"…You have excellent friends, Makoto-sama."

At her words, Makoto felt his lips quirked upwards a little and he looked up at the nebulas that filled the sky.

He couldn't see them, but he knew that they were there, looking at him at this very moment as one of the shining stars in the sky. He closed his eyes again as he hoped that his feelings towards them would be conveyed somehow.

"I see… I'm glad that you were not alone," he told Elizabeth finally, and she eyed him for a second, her eyes glimmering with something that he couldn't quite recognize. She nodded at him with a soft smile and reached out her arms towards him.

With a small flash of light, a familiar blue leather-bound book appeared in her hands.

"This is for you, Makoto-sama" she said, presenting him the book.

"A book?"

"It's your Persona Compendium. It holds every Persona that you've awakened inside of it. I suppose… it could be considered the proof of the life you led back then," she told him before she paused, a hint of hesitation showing in her expression, but she hardened her eyes and stared right into him with sincerity in her eyes.

"I understand that the last year of your life must not be easy. It might have even be painful for you. But… no matter what, I wish for you to always cherish those times and keep them close in your heart," she said solemnly. "That is why I wish for you to have this book—so that you'd never forget, wherever Fate may take you to in your next life."

Makoto stared into her eyes and nodded, accepting the book from her hands.

"…I will."

Hearing his answer, Elizabeth's eyes softened and she gave him a warm smile once again. She looked down into her almost completely disappearing form and closed her eyes, finally at peace with herself.

"I'm glad that I got to meet you again, Makoto-sama," she told him softly.

"…Elizabeth?" he called to her.

"Yes?"

"I'm glad that I got to meet you too. Thank you… for everything," he murmured, giving her a crooked little smile that made her eyes widened in surprise before she let out another tinkling laugh.

"It was my pleasure, my dearest guest."

Elizabeth beamed at him again, for one last time, as she finally disappeared into the nothingness around them with glimmering, brilliant sparks.

From within his heart, somehow he could still hear her voice, gentle and cheerful as always as she told him, " _See you in the next life,_ " and he let himself drop his smile.

Parting his lips, he reached one hand to the sky and finally closed his eyes.

"Yeah…"

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 _One day, one day for sure. I know that we'll meet again._

 _That's why…_

 _Everyone…_

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 _…wait for me. I'm coming._

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And then… 200 years after the descent of Nyx...

Inside a hospital, late at night…

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"Look, Inko. He has your eyes and hair," a man, grossly sobbing and hiccupping as he held his son in his arms, pointed emotionally to his exhausted but happily smiling wife.

Inko laughed and wiped his tears with her hand.

"And he has your smile," she told her husband fondly as she caressed his cheek. He paused in his sobs to lean into her hand and she giggled in return to his action.

Smiling warmly at her little family, she went to nuzzle her son's cheek with her nose and whispered lovingly into his little ears.

"I'm sure you'll grow up into a great person, Izuku."

Sniffling a little, her husband smiled and kissed her head.

"Yeah…" he nodded.

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 _"I'm sure he will…"_

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This is the end of the chapter.

It's been 11 years and _Kimi no Kioku_ 's lyrics still got me every damn time.

Writing this made me cry big, ugly tears because I wish for Makoto to be free. I want ATLUS to just bring Makoto back, and not just for dancing spin-offs. Even if they don't bring him back to life, I just wanted to play a remake of Persona 3 in HD. They have the character model already. Make it happen, dammit!

If it's not clear yet, Makoto is reincarnated into Izuku.

I don't know if I'm going to make this into multi-chaptered story, but I do have a draft for another episode that I want to write that's sort of Inko's view of this new Izuku in my phone as well as a special someone that I love very much being reunited with him, so that's at least 3 chapters planned.

We'll see if I ever get to posting that though.

Thank you for being here and reading through this manifestation of my wishes. I hope you enjoyed it!


	2. Chapter 2

The response for this story is really unexpected, thank you _so much_. This is one of those stories that I don't even care if it got a review or not since it's something I want to write for myself, but I'm glad to see that there are people who enjoyed this story.

Inko called Mitsuki Micchan because it's cute and I want to make it like Izuku get his nickname for Katsuki from his mother.

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 **Love, Through All Eternity**

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 _(One)_

"I heard that Katsuki-kun is being rough with you again," Inko began hesitantly during dinner one day.

Izuku glanced at her behind his frankly too long bangs and shook his head slightly. "It doesn't bother me," he said. "I like Kacchan."

That made Inko's eyebrows shoot to her hairline.

"You do?" She asked with curiosity. All she heard from their teachers was how much the two didn't get along and how Micchan's son sometimes played rough with Izuku because he was the only one in their class whose Quirk hadn't manifested yet.

Izuku nodded as he chewed on his meal.

"His reaction is interesting," he told her, smiling slightly.

"Really now…" Inko was doubtful, but Izuku didn't look like he was lying or forcing himself to say it, so Inko decided to let it go and moved on to different topic.

She knew Izuku really loved to make friends.

Sometimes Inko saw him spending time with the old man who liked to feed the birds in the park, listening to him talk about his younger days attentively. Other times she saw him with the young man who worked at the flower shop down the street.

There were several other people that Izuku loved to talk to, like the grade school girl whose parents always late to get her and the nurse at the nearby vet whose husband just died in a Villain attack a few months ago.

Inko wondered if she should be worried about him making older friends like that, but Izuku always act so mature and sure about his decision and all of his friends were kind people who always listened attentively to his words even though her son was way younger than them.

It was mystifying how her son managed to draw so many people around him.

Izuku's taste in friends was strange, but Inko felt like she could trust his judgment somehow. Maybe her son saw something in Micchan's son too, she sighed inwardly.

Well, as long as he didn't get hurt too much maybe she'll leave his strange relationship with him alone for now. It might be good for Micchan's son to have someone steadfast and calm like her Izuku as his friend too.

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 _(Two)_

"Say, Izuku. What do you want to be when you grow up?" Inko asked him one day as they walked home from his school. She smiled at her son cheerfully and suggested something. "A researcher like your dad, maybe?"

Izuku frowned a bit and tilted his head. "He's a researcher?"

Oh dear. Did she never tell him why his father was never home? Inko thought with a hint of concern.

"He's the head researcher at the Hero Support Department of Kirijo Group. Did I never tell you?" Inko answered, putting a hand on her cheek as she tried to recall her memory. She was fairly sure she mentioned it somewhere before.

Izuku looked startled by her words, which was a rare sight since it wasn't an easy task to catch him off guard, but he quickly relaxed his posture again. Inko watched him hum softly as he closed his eyes.

"I see… so Kirijo Group still exist even now…" Izuku murmured quietly, sounding glad somehow.

"'Even now'? You talk funny sometimes don't you, Izuku?" Inko giggled lightly, not understanding what he meant by his words.

Izuku just hummed again, a faint smile on his lips. He opened his eyes and craned his neck to stare at the sky as they continued to walk. There was an airplane passing by, leaving a trail of white cloud on its track.

Inko didn't know why, but he looked really sad even with the smile on his face.

"I still don't know what I want to be," Izuku told her after a long while. "But... I do have something that I want to do."

"Oh? What is it?" Inko asked, smiling down at him and swinging their connected hands as they walked. Izuku was silent for a while as he tried to gather his thoughts, but Inko was patient as she waited for him to be ready.

"…I…" Izuku faltered for a second, before light suddenly filled his eyes and he stared ahead with determination in his eyes. "I wish to protect this world that my friends dedicated their lives to protect."

Inko was taken aback.

She had expected him to blurt out things like helping people or beating up Villains like a Hero—just something that he said because it sounded cool and all his friends at school were talking about it.

She didn't expect him to tell her his life's purpose, especially since she could sense that he completely meant what he said.

To protect the world that his friends dedicated their lives to protect…

Those words came from his heart.

Inko fell silent at his answer.

She didn't know who these friends he was talking about, but…

"…I see," she said finally, a small smile on her lips. "You should go for it if you want to do it."

Izuku looked surprised again at her words. Maybe he wasn't expecting her to agree with him.

"You think so?" he murmured again and Inko nodded encouragingly.

"Of course! If it's Izuku, then I believe you could do it," she said with a big grin. "No matter what, Mum will be by your side, supporting you. So don't you worry, okay?"

Izuku said nothing, but a small smile was tugging at the corner of his lips.

Inko squeezed his hands tightly in return.

Sometimes, when talking to Izuku she get the feeling like she was talking to someone much older, and not a seven year old boy. It was a mysterious feeling.

When they got home, Inko spent a lot of time telling him about Heroes and showing him videos of All Might since she thought it would help him realize his wish. Izuku listened to her attentively, indulging her. He didn't speak much, as usual, but Inko could feel his gratefulness in his kind gesture.

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 _(Three)_

Izuku was a curious child.

It wasn't like he was acting abnormally strange, but there was just something about him that wasn't like any other kids that she knew. He was very different than her friend Micchan's son Katsuki, that was for sure.

For starters, Izuku didn't talk much, preferring to stay in the background and observe his surroundings, but he was unexpectedly bold at times and have a strong sense of leadership. Izuku loved to make friends too. He was a surprisingly good listener and he had friends of all ages around their little town of Musutafu.

He could also be surprisingly charming when using his words and body language, and not only was he emotionally mature, in term of academic intelligence one could definitely say that he was at a genius level too.

Maybe that was what was different about him. They did say that genius tend to act a little strangely, didn't they?

But then there's the fact that when Izuku spoke, sometimes he would slip with his speech patterns and started speaking like the actors in those old movies from several centuries ago that Inko secretly loved to watch in her free times, making him sound like an old man.

It was a bit jarring when he did that since his adorable face was just so young and innocent, but Inko had learned to just nod and smile whenever he slipped and never ask unnecessary questions for fear of making him uncomfortable.

Even after 8 years, Inko still couldn't figure out her son at all, but he was a good kid, always helping her with simple housework ever since he was old enough with nary any complaints. He certainly made her job raising him pretty much alone so much easier since he never make any trouble for her.

Even though he had his moments of childishness, more often than not, she felt like Izuku was more like an adult that was trapped inside a child's body.

Whatever it was that was going on with her son, Inko loved him with all her heart.

But... sometimes he would get this look on his face, like he was yearning to be somewhere he couldn't be, and it broke Inko's heart every time she saw him like that, because she didn't know how to make it better.

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 _(Four)_

It was a beautiful and completely busy Sunday when Inko asked Izuku to be her cooking assistant. She wanted to make a feast to celebrate Hisashi finally coming home from his work and need an assistant to prepare the dessert while she cooked the main dish.

They were mixing the batter for the cake they were making when she saw him smiling softly at her. She returned his smile and cheerfully asked him why he was smiling, since he didn't smile that often.

Inko loved it when her son smiled. Izuku might not smile often, but when he did, his eyes would crinkle upwards, full of warmth and kindness. In Inko's completely unbiased opinion, it made him look so beautiful.

Izuku answered her question with a slight shake of his head.

"I was just remembering something. Having a mother is a really nice thing, isn't it?" was what he told her.

Inko didn't understand what he meant by that, but she smiled sweetly at him anyway and bestowed a kiss between his brows to show him how much she loved having him around too. He accepted it with a fake annoyance at being treated like a child and she laughed at his expression.

That night when her husband finally came home, both she and Izuku welcomed him home with warm feast and a big hug. While they were talking and having fun though, Inko's mind went back to the weird conversation she had with her son earlier.

Having a mother is a really nice thing… somehow Inko felt like those words came from someone who knew how it felt like growing up without a mother.

Now, Inko wasn't a genius like her son, but she liked to think that she wasn't stupid.

Even if she decided to keep her silence and not to overthink things, she _noticed_ these things, especially since it concerned her child. So, the day after her husband went back to work, Inko finally decided to talk to Izuku.

She didn't know how to start this particular discussion, so she just decided to be blunt with it and hoped that everything will be alright.

"Do you have another name that you wish to be called with?" Inko asked her son after she braced herself as they were watching the TV that night.

It was a strangely phrased question. She decided if Izuku decided to deflect it or pretend that he didn't understand it, she would let it go and never mentioned it again since she didn't want to drive him away.

Izuku's eyes widened in surprise, but she met his gaze head on. Unflinching, with a warm and accepting smile plastered on her face as she waited for his answer.

When he finally understood the meaning behind her words, his eyes softened and he closed them momentarily as he shook his head.

"...No," he told her, a smile on his lips as he opened his eyes again. "Izuku's a fine name, Mother."

At his words, Inko swallowed and tried to blink her tears away, but he seemed to notice it anyway as he averted his eyes and pretended that he didn't. She laughed wetly and drew his tiny body into her arms, hugging him tightly.

"I'm glad you like it," Inko murmured softly as she pulled away.

The answering smile she got was comforting.

"You're surprisingly perceptive," Izuku told her after her tears stopped.

"Well, I _am_ your mother, you know!" Inko told him, pretending to be offended at his words.

Izuku closed his eyes and smiled faintly.

"I see… it seems I've been underestimating the power of a mother," he finally said after a while. "Aren't you going to ask me about it?" Izuku asked her then. "You _are_ curious."

It wasn't a question. He knew she was curious, but she decided to shake her head.

"I am curious, but I will not pressure you into telling me," Inko said, smiling at him. "But, if you want to tell me, then I am here for you. Always."

Inko kissed his head and pressed their noses together as she squeezed his little hands tightly in hers, hoping that he understood that loved him and she always will.

"No matter what, you're my son, Izuku. Remember that."

Izuku squeezed her hands in return and smiled at her warmly.

"I'm glad that I was born to a kind person like you, Mother," he whispered softly. "Thank you."

That night, they stayed up late as Izuku told her of a tale that began 200 years ago—of a group of children that risked their lives every night to protect humanity from malicious beings that they called Shadows using the manifestation of their soul.

It was tale of continuous struggles, partings, and self-discovery that ended with the sacrifice of one boy to prevent the End from encroaching upon them.

Inko listened to his tale attentively, holding his hands the whole time.

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 _(Five)_

Izuku was a curious child, but he was Inko's child nonetheless. She loved him with every inch of her being, and nothing could change that. Not even crazy stories about past lives and the power of the gods.

 _Nothing_.

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Next chapter will be the last.

Thank you for reading!


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